Spring-wheel.



R.FOUROHY. SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1918..

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. T INVENIOR .Ez'aiawifiuray W/TA/ES s ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOORAPHCO..WASN|NGTON, n. L.

R. POURCHY.

SPRING WHEEL.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE30,1913.

1,093,391 7 Patented Apr. 14,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IMENTOH ATTORNEYS RICHARD FOURCI-IY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

STRING-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1913.

Patented Apr. 1d, 1914. Serial No. 776,596.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD FoUnoHY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented a new and Improved Spring-Wheel, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to spring wheels for vehicles and has referencemore particularly to the resilient connection between the rim and thehub, said connection comprising a plurality of independent resilientunits located between the spokes and intermediate the rim and the hub.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, strong andreliable spring wheel in which the load is evenly distrib uted throughthe body of the wheel.

The foregoing and other. objects of the invention will hereinafter bemore fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forminga part. of this specification in which like characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views,

and in Which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion cured to thesides of the spokes by means of bolts 8. The rings are concentric withthe hub 5 of the wheel and are at each side of the wheel. The ends ofthe spokes 6 are i received between pairs of plates 9 which are securedby means of bolts 10 to each side of the folly 11. The plates 9 areprovided with openings substantially central with the ends of the spokes6 through which lubricant material can be admitted to the plates todiminish the friction between the ends and the plates. The end of eachof the spokes 6 engagedbetween the plates 9 is in no way connected withthe plates, and while it can move between the plates 9 in the plane ofthe wheel, it cannot move transversely of this plane, that is, the saidend of each of the spokes is prevented from side displacement. The felly11 is preferably formed of two similar wooden rings receiving betweenthem a circular member 12 T-shaped in cross section, the member 12 beingdisposed on the inner periphery of the rings forming the felly 11. Theouter periphery of the folly receives a rim 13. The

rings forming the telly are connected together at diflerent intervals bymeans of a straddling member 14. which receives a bolt the shape of twoSs oppositely disposed,

the ends of which are located between the plates 9 to which they aresecured by means of bolts 20. The axes of the U-shaped flat spring andthe oppositely disposed S-shaped spring are substantially in alinementand lie within the radius of the wheel. Each end of the flat U-shapedspring 16 is provided with an eye engaged by a pin 21. Pivotally securedto the pin 21, at one side, is a coil spring 22, and adjacent the otherside is a rod 23. The rod 23 projects through an opening 24 provided inthe adjacent side of the spring 19. The end of the rod 23 projectingthrough the spring 19 and a member 26 receives a coil spring 25 whichrests on each member adapted to oscillate in a bearing 27'secured to thespring 19. The opposite end of the spring bears against a washersupported on the rod by means of a nut 28 secured to the end of the rod23. The spring 22 has its opposite end secured to a pin 29 located in abearing 30 secured in alinement with the bearing 27 but on the oppositeside of the spring 19. The location of the spring 22 and the rod 23 onthe opposite ends of the U-shaped spring 16 is staggered so as to permitthe proper location of the springs 25 within the spring 19 withoutinterference between them. The springs 22 and rods 23 are normallydirected toward the center of the spring 19 formed where the twoS-shapes are connected together, this center being on the radial line ofthe wheel. I

The U-shaped spring 16 intermediate its ends is provided with a bearingportion 31 in which bears a pin 32 which receives one end of a coilspring 33, the opposite end of which is secured to a pin 34 bearing in aplate 35 secured to the central circular portion of the spring 19. Thespring 33 is located toward one edge of the springs 16 and 19 so as topermit a similar arrangement between the springs 33 and a rod 36 asdescribed bet-ween the springs 22 and the rod 23. The rod 36 ispivotally secured to the pin 34 and projects through an opening 37provided in the spring 16, a bearing plate 38 which is secured to thespring 16 and a member 40, and on this projecting end is positioned aspring 39 bearing with one end against said member 40 bearing in thebearing plate 38 while the opposite end of the spring rest-s against awasher bearing contact-ing with a nut 41 secured to the rod 36. By meansof the nuts 28 and 41 the resistance of the compression springs 25 and39 can be varied. The springs 33 and 39 are in alinement and aresubstantially in the radial line of the wheel.

The coil springs are so distributed be tween the springs 16 and 19 thatthe angle between them is substantially the same and is 120 degrees. Thesprings 22 and 25, as well as 33 and 39, are acting in opposition toeach other. They are set to a compression equal to about half theircapacity, and the total compression of all the springs 22 and 33 issubstantially equal to the normal load on the wheel, and similarly thetotal compression on all the springs 25 and 39. The result is that undernormal load on the wheel, the felly and the hub are concentric and arein perfect and steady balance as related to each other. Any shock in theline of traction applied to the telly, the hub or the spokes, whethervertical, horizontal or concentric, such, for instance, as thetransmission of power from the hub to the telly or sudden loading, theunevenness of the road, or any such shock or shocks, will tend todisturb the concentricity of the telly with the hub, and in doing socauses the springs 22, 33, 25 and 39 to get into action and resist thattendency as follows: At the moment of the shock the compression of eachof the springs 22 and 33 is opposed by nearly an equal compression bythe springs 25 and 39. As the shock passes between the telly and thehub, this equality of compression is disturbed, and in consequencecompression is increased on three of the coil springs in each of theunits, and correspondingly diminishes the resistance of the threecomplementary coil springs in each of the said units. The loss ofcompression by said complementary springs is an equivalent gain for thethree other companion springs. The result is that the resistance of theshock olfered by those springs which receive it is gradual but quicklyaccelerated until ultimate resistance has been reached. The threecompanion springs which are relaxed from their normal compression willimmediately return to their normal posit-ion when the shock has passed,and will restore the telly and hub to its normal relation, therebyestablishing the balance of the wheel. The springs 16 and 19 add toreceive and disseminate extreme shocks which may exceed the maximumresistance of the coil springs; also the flat springs add to theresiliency and elasticity of the units and help to maintain the hub andthe telly in the same plane.

In a modified form, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the mutually opposingcompression springs 22 and 25 are mounted on a rod 45, and the mutuallyopposed compression springs 33 and 39 are mounted on a rod 46. The rod45 is provided with a flanged head 47 pivotally connected to the end ofthe flat spring 16 with the other end projecting through a member 48pivotally mounted in akbearing 27 secured to the flat spring '19 Thismember 48 has a portion projecting through the said bearing andfiatspring 19 and has a flanged portion on this projecting portion, thespring 22 being compressed between the flanged head 47 of the rod 45 andthe flanged portion of the member 48. The end of the rod 45 lying withinthe flat spring 19 receives the spring 25, the tension of which iscontrolled by means of the nut 28. The rod 46 is similarly provided witha flanged head 47 pivotally mounted in a'be aring block 35 secured tothe flat spring 19'. The rod 46 projects also through a member 48pivotally mounted in a bearing block 38 secured to the flat spring 16.The end of the rod 46 lying outside the flat spring 19 receives a coilspring 39, the tension of which is controlled by means of a nut 41.

The rods 45 connected to the opposite ends of the flat springs 16 are atopposite sides of the flat spring 16, so as to prevent interferencebetween the springs 25 positioned on said rods within the flat spring19. The rod 46 pivot-ally connected to the flat spring 19 is lyingsubstantially in the central plane of the wheel, as can be seen fromFig. 5. With. the position of the springs as shown inthe modified form,the stresses between the facing mutually opposite compression springsare more evenly dist-rib uted, particularly by the provision of the rod46 in the central plane of the wheel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent V 1. In a spring wheel, a hub, a felly, spokes fromthe hub to the telly, and resilient units intermediate the hub, thespokes and the felly, each of .the'resilient units comprising a springhaving the shape of two oppositely disposed Ss engaging the telly, aU-shaped spring engaging the adjacent spokes, and compression springsconnecting said U- shaped spring with the S-shaped springs,substantially as set forth.

2. In a spring wheel, a hub, a telly, spokes rigidly secured to the huband extending to the telly, means pivotally attached to the tellyengaging the spokes, and resilient units intermediate the hub, spokesand telly, each comprising a spring having the shape of oppositelydisposed Ss, the ends of which are secured to said means, a U-shapedspring secured to the adjacent spokes, and compression springsconnecting the U-shaped and S- shaped springs, substantially as settorth.

3. In a spring wheel, a hub; spokes rigidly secured to the hub; a telly;means on the telly engaging the spokes, and whereby the hub with thespokes can only move in the plane ot the wheel, and resilient unitsintermediate the hub spokes and telly, each comprising a spring betweenthe adjacent spokes connected to the telly; a second spring connected tothe adjacent spokes; and compression springs connecting the two springs,substantially as and tor the purpose set forth.

4. In a spring wheel, a hub, a telly, spokes rigidly secured to the huband extending to the telly, means pivotally attached to the tellyengaging the spokes, and resilient units intermediate the hub, spokesand telly, each unit comprising a fiat spring having the shape otoppositely disposed Ss, the ends of which are pivotally secured to saidmeans, a flat U-shaped spring secured to the adjacent spokes, and pairsot mutually opposing compression springs normally balancing each otherconnecting said flat springs, substantially as set torth.

5. In aspring wheel, a hub, a telly, spokes rigidly secured to the huband extending to the telly, means on the telly engaging the spokes, andresilient units intermediate the hub, spokes and telly, each unitcomprising a fiat spring having the shape of oppositely disposed Ss, theends of which are secured to the means on the tellies, a U-shaped tlatspring secured tothe adjacent spokes, the major part of said oppositelydisposed S- shaped spring being located within the U- shaped spring,pairs of balanced compression springs positioned on both sides of theoppositely disposed S-shaped spring and connected to the extremities ofsaid U-shaped spring, and another pair ot balanced compression springspositioned at each side ot the central portion ot the U-shaped springand connecting it to the S-shaped spring, substantially as set forth.

6. In a spring wheel, a. hub, a telly, spokes secured to the hub andextending to the telly, means on the telly engaging the spokes,resilient means intermediate the hub, spokes and telly, each unitcomprising a flat spring having the shape ot oppositely disposed Ss, theends of which are secured to the means on the telly, a U-shaped flatspring secured to the adjacent spokes, the major part of said oppositelydisposed S- shaped springs being located within the U- shaped spring,pairs ot facing mutually opposing compression springs positioned on bothsides of the oppositely disposed shaped springs and connected to theextremities ot said U-shaped spring, and another pair ot tacing balancedmutually opposing compression springs positioned at each side ot thecentral portion of the U- shaped spring and connected to the S-shapedspring, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD FOURCHY.

Witnesses:

KELLY BRENT. LOUIS J. BENNE'ITT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. 0.

